Knicks Star Offers Injury, Rehab Update

A night that saw one of their biggest rivals earn yet another accolade had a small victory to offer New York Knicks fans.

As the Boston Celtics put the finishing touches on a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Manhattan star Julius Randle offered a positive update on his injured shoulder on ESPN’s alternate game broadcast hosted by actor Kevin Hart.

“It’s healing up great,” Randle said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “I spent two-and-a-half months rehabbing before, so when I came out of shoulder surgery I was recovering pretty fast; all my muscles around my shoulder and stuff are strong. So I’ve been healing up great, been taking my time, obviously not in a rush. But I like where I’m at, for sure.”

Randle missed the final four months of this Knicks season after suffering a shoulder injury in a January win over Miami. He originally planned to come back but instead opted for season-ending surgery which should have him ready by the 2024-25 season’s tip-off time. Randle’s metropolitan mastery has been beset by injury in each of the last two seasons but he has earned All-Star invites on each occasion, averaging 24.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in a return to prominence.

Though Randle and the rest of the Knicks will have to watch the rival Celtics compete in yet another NBA Finals, his appearance on Hart’s alternate broadcast offered him a chance for proud reflection: the Knicks won only 21 games during Randle’s maiden metropolitan voyage in 2019-20 but his arrival and more has propelled New York into the Eastern Conference penthouse. Of note, New York is one of only three teams (joined by Boston and Denver) to win at least one playoff round in each of the last two seasons.

“I’m excited,” Randle told Hart (h/t New York Knicks France on X). “It’s my fifth season being a Knick and I was here when we were winning 15 games, we were clawing, scratching from the bottom. To see where we’re at now, to understand the potential of our team, the opportunity, I’m excited. It just motivates me to head into the offseason and really get to work.”

Time will tell if the extension-eligible Randle will get to partake in the team’s long-term affairs: the 29-year-old’s future will be one of the prominent talking points of this offseason, one that’s unlikely to stall the team’s continued search for another established star.

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